Identification-plate.



No. 799,997. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

D. MAOLBLLAN- IDENTIFICATION PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1904.

Ancmnl a mum-1 Cu, Pnowumunmmias msnmmpu v c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

IDENTIFICATION-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed November 21, 1904:. Serial No. 233,736.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL MAOLELLAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roslindale, in the county of Suflolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inIdentification Plates, of Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to identification-plates of the character employedupon uniform-caps for the purpose of indicating the number or functionof an employee or oflicial, the object of the invention being to providean improved construction of identification-plate and means for fasteningthe same to a cap, whereby the plate may be quickly and convenientlyapplied to the cap and as readily removed, so as to permit of the capbeing cleaned without interference or of the employee wearing the capwithout the plate when off duty or at other times when the use of adesignating-plate is not desired or required. The invention also permitsof the use of interchangeable plates and the application of the platesto various supports for a variety of purposes.

lVith this and other objects in view the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination, and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of auniformcap equipped with my improved identification-plate. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section through the plate, the fastening means, and thesupporting portion of the body of the cap.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the identification-- plate detached, and Fig."4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the fasteners.

The numeral 1 in the drawings designates the body of a uniform-cap orother suitable support, and 2 the improved identificationplate, whichlatter is provided at its ends with openings 3 and may bear any suitablenumber, name, or other data indicating the function of an employee orofiicial.

The body or support 1 is provided with spring-studs 4, adapted to engagethe openings 3 in the plate to detachably secure the latter thereto.Each of these studs comprises a spring-head 5, formed from a piece ofmetal stamped up to provide a series of spaced fingers 6, radiating orextending from a common center and projecting rearwardly therefrom andbent at their free ends to form lateral terminals 7. Between theseterminals and the curved body portions of the fingers 6, forming thespring-head 5, the said fingers are provided with straight portions 8,forming an inclosing space or socket of less diameter than the diameterof the head, and thereby causing the production of a shoulder 9 at thebase or inner end of the head to adapt the latter to retain the platesecurely in place, as hereinafter described. Within the socket formed bythe said straight portions 8 of the fingers 6 is an imperforate socket10, which is provided at its inner end with a flange 11, extending inparallel relationto the lateral terminals 7 of the fingers 6, and saidflange and terminals are clamped in fixed relation by a clamping-ring12, having its body portion covering the said portions 7 of the fingersand bent to form a flange 13, turned over against the rear of the flange11-of the socket 10, thus firmly connecting said socket and spring-headtogether.

The socket 10 receives the outer end. of a hollow or tubular stud 14,projecting through an opening in the body or support 1 and formed at itsinner end with a flange 15, hearing against the inner side of saidsupport to hold it from outward movement. end of the shank is spread orslightly flared, as shown at 15, whereby it may be frictionally engagedwith the socket 10 when inserted therein, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, todetachably connect the head thereto. By this construction the parts ofthe fastening may be conveniently applied to the cap or other support byfirst forming the same with an opening, then passing the tubular shank14 through said opening until the flange 15 bears against the inner sideof the support, and then forcing the spring-stud upon the outer orexposed end of the shank until the latter fully enters the socket 10 andits flared end 15 frictionally engages the wall thereof and retains thepart in position. The connection between these parts is free enough topermit them to be readily connected and disconnected, and yet firmenough'to prevent disconnection of the spring-stud when theidentification-plate 2 is detached, thereby obviating any liability ofaccidental loss or disconnection of the parts of the fastener.

The number of fasteningdevices employed will correspond to the number ofreceiving openings 3 in the identification-plate, of which two are shownin the present instance one at each end of said plate. Each of theseopen ings 3 is of somewhat smaller diameter than the spring-head of thestud and of but little The outer greater diameter than the straightportion of the lingers of the head, so that in applying the plate toeach stud pressure exerted upon the plate will cause the spring head tocontract and pass through the opening 3 until the plate is brought inrear of the shoulder 9, when the spring-head will expand and retain theplate securely against outward movement, the relative sizes of thestraight portion of the head and the openings being such as to preventthe plate from having but slight independent movement on the fasteningdevices, such movement not being suflicient to strain the fasteningconnections or tocause displacement of the plate.

From the above-described arrangement of parts it will be observed thatthe identification-plate may be readily attached to the cap or otherarticle to which it is to be applied and as conveniently detachedtherefrom to enable the cap or article to be cleaned withoutinterference and to be worn without the plate when the owner or userthereof is off duty or at other times when the use of a designatingplateis not desired or required. This construction and arrangement of partsfurther permits of the use of interchangeable plates bearing differentdesignatingnumbers, names, or other data and of the application of theplates to various articles or supports for advertising, price-marking,and a variety of other useful purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Thecombination with a support, of a stud removably applied thereto, asocket engaging said stud and holding itin applied position, a secondstud engaging said socket, and a plate detachably engaging said secondstud.

2. The combination with a support, of a stud carried thereby, a socketdetachably engaging said stud, a second stud engaging the socket, and aplate having an opening for detachable connection with said second stud.

3. The combination with a support having an opening therein, of a studhaving an engaging portion passing through said opening, a socketdetachably engaging said engaging portion of the stud, a second studengaging the socket, and a plate having an opening to detachably engagethe second stud.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL MAOLELLAN.

Witnesses:

D. C. CAMPBELL, MARGARET A. MAoLnLLAN.

